Author: local researcher

San Diego Opera

San Diego Opera is one of the top opera companies in the U.S. With well-known and new productions offered each year, you’re sure to find just the right production to share with your grandchildren as their first introduction to this extraordinary art form. Opening night, pre-opera and post-opera events are fun ways to make your special evening even more exciting. You can also take a backstage tour before a Friday evening performance.

Contact number: (619) 533-7000

Location: 1200 Third Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101

Learn more here.

Arts Tix

Keep Arts Tix in mind before you head out to a live performance. This discreet ticket booth, located on the corner of Broadway and Third Ave. at Broadway Circle, often sells half-price tickets to same day events. These discounted tickets are available on a first come, first serve basis so it’s best to be there when Arts Tix opens.

Contact number: (619) 497-5000

Location: 28 Horton Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101

Learn more here.

Coronado’s Summer Concert Series

Coronado’s Promenade Concert in the Park Series, running on Sundays from Memorial Day-Labor Day, offers up jazz, Big Band, pops, fifties classics and local community band performances at this cozy event. Musicians assemble in a gazebo that is smack dab in the middle of the park so just about any spot you choose for setting up camp is a good one.

Contact number: (619) 437-8788

Location: Spreckels Park 601 Orange Avenue, San Diego, CA 92118

Learn more here.

San Diego Bay Ferry

The San Diego Bay Ferry shuttles passengers (no cars) from the Broadway Pier in Downtown San Diego to the Ferry Landing Marketplace in Coronado (and vice-versa). The 15-minute ride is just long enough to make you feel like you’re getting away from it all. You and your grandchildren can challenge each other by seeing who can spot the most sea animals (there are plenty of seals hanging out on the buoys) from the bow.

Contact number: (619) 234-4111

Location: 1050 North Harbor Drive,San Diego, CA 92101

Learn more here.

Whale Watching Tours

San Diego is one of the best locations to catch the annual migration of gray whales as they make their way from the cold waters of the Arctic to the warm waters of Baja to birth their calves. Prime viewing months for Whale Watching Tours are late December-early March.

Contact number: (619) 234-4111

Location: 1050 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101

Learn more here.

San Diego International Children’s Film Festival

Every summer, the Museum of Photographic Arts presents the San Diego International Children’s Film Festival. Films from all over the world are featured, each with children in mind. Each program is based on a theme (Earth and Space, Teen Filmmakers, Cinco de Mayo Celebracion) and features several short films based around that theme.

Contact number: (760) 805-9510

Location: 1649 El Prado , San Diego, CA 92101

Learn more here.

WorldBeat Cultural Center

The music, art, dance, education and technology of the African and indigenous cultures of the world are highlighted here in an effort of promotion and preservation. The center offers many classes for families to do together, so you and your grandchildren can enroll in an art, drumming, dance or music class. Earth Day, MLK Day, Bob Marley Day and Kwanzaa are just a sampling of their exciting annual celebrations.

Contact number:  (619) 230-1190

Location: 2100 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101

Learn more here.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego

The Maritime Museum of San Diego is a collection of historic ships that are available for tours and legendary lore. This replica of an 18th century Royal Navy frigate is the current home of Pirates of the Pacific and features folks dressed up as pirates. There are also artifacts and hands-on exhibits about the pirates who wreaked nearly 100 years of havoc in the South China Sea.

Contact number: (619) 234-9153

Location: 1492 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101

Learn more here.

San Diego Firehouse Museum

The friendly volunteer staff (made up of firefighters, medical technicians and hopeful new recruits) is here to answer questions and talk story about San Diego’s firefighting history. Indeed, firefighting plays a crucial role in the city’s survival since its dry climate lends itself to brushfires, some of which have caused major, local devastation.

Contact number: (619) 232-3473

Location: 1572 Columbia Street , San Diego, CA 92101

Learn more here.

Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

Exhibit after exhibit (over 100 in seven galleries) is tantalizing, educational and fascinating. Most exhibits are interactive, allowing excellent opportunities to explore with your grandchildren. Kid City is a fun-filled zone designed for children six and younger. Conveyor belts, magnets, puzzles, twists and pulleys will keep even the youngest hands busy for hours. It’s well worth a few extra bucks to check out one of the fabulous IMAX films in the world’s first dome theatre—it tilts at a 25-degree angle, giving one the feeling of being suspended in space.

Contact number: (619) 238-1233

Location: 1875 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101

Learn more here.